In Thomas Tuchel’s first match as head coach of the England national team, the squad earned a 2-0 victory over Albania. However, despite the win, the German coach still had areas to address.
Tuchel pointed out that the performances of the wing players, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, fell short of expectations. He felt they lacked the attacking impact he had hoped for.
“We expect more from these positions—more dribbling, more aggressive runs into the box. Overall, that was missing. Chances often come from those small runs behind the defensive line, and they weren’t as decisive as they could have been. We lacked direct running with the ball. There was too much passing, not enough dribbling, and not enough drive towards goal. They trained well and showed great determination in preparation. I believe they deserved to start, as they’ve been excellent for their clubs recently. We’ll keep encouraging them to improve.”
